Lover's Tears: The End of Time | Chapter 59 | The Reincarnated Narcissus | Novela.app

Chapter 60 - The Reincarnated Narcissus The news that the Sovereign of the Beyond-Heaven had submitted to the Bodhisattva Guanyin to serve as his mount spread like wildfire, sending the entire realm into a state of absolute pandemonium. Among the myriad demons and monsters inhabiting that chaotic dimension, few could bring themselves to believe such a preposterous tale. However, the gossip-mongers of the Beyond-Heaven were notoriously accurate; their intelligence networks spanned the Three Realms. After a collective bout of wailing and lamentation, the demons gathered to analyze the situation. How could their formidable leader abandon the throne of the Beyond-Heaven to endure the indignity of being a mere divine beast in the Celestial Realm? The council of monsters eventually distilled the possibilities into three primary theories: First, the Bodhisattva held some dark secret or leverage over their master, forcing him into a life of servitude through blackmail. Second, the Celestial Realm had employed some despicable, underhanded sorcery to cloud their leader’s mind, leading him astray through deception. Third, their master had fallen victim to the legendary beauty of Guanyin himself! As these points were debated, the air grew thick with the cacophony of voices. The first theory was quickly discarded; their master was neither a paragon of virtue nor a fragile maiden of chastity. Even if he had committed some unspeakable act, he was not the sort to fear public exposure. The second theory also seemed unlikely; the Ancestor of Zombies, Nü Ba, had clashed with the heavens countless times in antiquity, and the gods had never managed to truly subdue her lineage through mere trickery. Thus, only the third theory remained. The demons engaged in a heated discussion, concluding that Guanyin—famed for his silver-tongued eloquence and a countenance that could move the heavens—must have used his charms. In contrast, they viewed their own leader as a being of "innocent purity" and "upright simplicity." Surely, such a guileless soul had been bewitched by the Bodhisattva’s sophisticated wiles. Convinced they had unearthed the truth, the Fiend-Soul Fetus took command. He rallied the most hot-tempered spirits, declaring their intent to march upon the Western Paradise, storm the gates, and kidnap Guanyin to bring him back to the Beyond-Heaven as a captive. Guanyin, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, found himself in a state of profound distress. Though he possessed boundless divine powers and was a master of universal salvation, his raw combat prowess was not suited for fending off a literal tide of frenzied demons. While he was safe within the confines of the Western Paradise, his nature was restless; he loved to wander the mortal world. When word of the demons' intent reached the ears of the other Buddhas, their gazes toward the Bodhisattva became increasingly playful. Even the Tathagata Buddha could not suppress a smile, his voice booming with mirth. "Amitabha... my dear disciple, I never realized you possessed such... magnetic charms." Guanyin nearly overturned his meditation table in frustration. However, a Bodhisattva is, above all, resourceful. He decided to redirect the coming storm. He sought out the Fiend-Soul Fetus before the demon could strike, adopting an expression of weary disappointment. "Useless monsters," he sighed, "wasting your energy on trifles. Do you truly believe your master stays by my side because he is captivated by my humble self?" The Fiend-Soul Fetus narrowed his eyes, his suspicion piqued. "Then what is the reason?" Guanyin idly toyed with the willow sprig in his Pure Vase, his expression becoming unnervingly solemn. "Think carefully. If he remains by my side, who is the one person he is most likely to encounter?" Before the demon could process the riddle, Guanyin turned and vanished, leaving behind a final, cryptic remark: "His heart is deeper than you can imagine. Look closer at the company I keep." The Fiend-Soul Fetus returned to the Beyond-Heaven with this puzzle, and the demons spent days dissecting it. Eventually, they arrived at a horrifying conclusion: Could it be that their leader was actually targeting the Tathagata Buddha himself? The thought sent shivers through their spectral forms. Their master’s ambition was high—perhaps too high. Most fallen gods who had escaped the Avici Hell had spent time in the Buddha’s Hall of Sutras, and the mere mention of the place made them tremble. They concluded that their leader’s aesthetic tastes and moral compass had become catastrophically distorted. "We must save him from himself!" they cried. They decided to capture their leader, bring him home, and force him to marry dozens of wives. Surely, after experiencing the "normal" joys of domestic life, he would lose interest in the bald monks of the West. Thus began a relentless game of cat-and-mouse. The green-eyed zombie, Hou, found himself hounded by his own subordinates. He was desperate to find Qiao'er, but these meddling demons were constantly trying to ambush him with "clobbering-from-behind" tactics to drag him back for a wedding. Initially, they clashed frequently. Hou’s old wounds had not fully healed, and he was no match for the combined strength of the ancient elders. Eventually, he learned to be cunning. He would transform his appearance to match the red-eyed zombies and mingle among the very crowds searching for him, slipping away only when they grew weary. It was a balmy summer night when the green-eyed zombie finally arrived at the Liu Manor. He moved through the estate like a phantom, searching courtyard after courtyard until he found the residence of Liu Shuixian, the daughter of the Sixth Concubine. It was a grand, double-entry courtyard centered around a lotus pond. The artificial mountains, crafted from jagged Taihu rocks, were embraced by lush green leaves and pink blossoms. A gentle summer breeze stirred the water, sending ripples through the flowers and carrying a delicate, hidden fragrance into the air. Maidservants moved like colorful butterflies across the bamboo bridges and through the winding corridors. Seeing the prosperity of the house, the zombie felt a flicker of relief. It seemed that over the years, Squire Liu had treated her well. What he did not know was that Squire Liu did not merely treat her "well"—he cherished her as the pearl in his palm. Liu Shuixian had grown into a beauty of unparalleled grace by the age of sixteen. Educated by the finest tutors in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, every movement she made was the epitome of a refined young lady. Fortune had followed her birth; since the day she arrived, Squire Liu’s business had flourished, making him the wealthiest man in Jizhou within a decade. He was convinced his daughter carried a divine blessing, a belief reinforced by a dream he’d had years ago involving a Bodhisattva. Even her mother, the Sixth Concubine, enjoyed a status that rivaled the primary wife. Countless suitors had sought her hand, but Squire Liu, remembering the prophecy of "great wealth and nobility," had turned them all away. That was until the Prince of Pingnan and his family passed through Jizhou. At a grand banquet, the Prince’s heir, Zixuan, had caught one glimpse of Liu Shuixian and became obsessed, vowing to marry no one else. Though the Prince’s house initially balked at the idea of a merchant’s daughter—and a concubine’s daughter at that—becoming the primary consort, Zixuan’s stubbornness won out. He had even attempted to scale the manor walls at night to see her, nearly earning a beating from the guards. Eventually, the royal family relented, and the engagement was set. As the zombie watched from the shadows, Liu Shuixian was busy embroidering her bridal trousseau. Her stitches were exquisite, a testament to her skill in the "small regular script" style of needlework. Her mother sat with her, her face a mask of maternal anxiety. "The Prince’s manor is a place of imperial blood," the Sixth Concubine sighed, holding a gold hairpin against her daughter’s dark tresses. "It is not like your home here. Once you marry, you must be careful..." "Mother, do not worry," Liu Shuixian replied, her voice as soft as silk, devoid of any arrogance. "I understand the weight of my position. I shall not bring shame to our name." After the mother left and the servants finished their nightly rituals, the candles were extinguished. The room fell into a dim twilight, illuminated only by the faint, orange glow of a Night-Glow Jade. The green-eyed zombie waited until the house was silent before he phased through the wall. He stood by the bed, watching the silhouette behind the emerald-green gauze curtains. The girl lay on her side, her slender form outlined beneath a thin summer quilt. His heart—or the place where a heart should be—throbbed with excitement. He gently parted the curtains and sat on the edge of the bed. Her long hair was spread across the jade pillow like a cloud of ink. He reached out, twining a lock of hair around his finger. It felt like silk. Though he could find no physical resemblance to the Qiao'er of his memories, the spiritual connection was undeniable. He had found her. Overcome with joy, he leaned down, pressing his cold cheek against hers. In that instant, Liu Shuixian’s eyes snapped open. She stared at him in the dim light, her sleepy gaze taking in the silver hair, the glowing green eyes, and the flash of white fangs. A blood-curdling scream shattered the silence of the night, waking the entire Liu Manor from its slumber.